Firewall interface configuration and processes to enable bi-directional VoIP traversal communications

ABSTRACT

A firewall for interfaced between an internal and an external networks. The firewall includes a VoIP processor for detecting an outgoing VoIP packet sent from the internal network for changing data in a header of the VoIP packet and also changing data contents in the VoIP packet corresponding to data changed in the header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication. In a preferred embodiment, the VoIP processor changes a source IP address and a port number in the header of the VoIP packet and also changes the data contents in the VoIP packet corresponding to the source IP address and the port number changed in the header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication. In another preferred embodiment, the firewall further includes an external VoIP interface comprising a plurality of VoIP ports for receiving multiple incoming VoIP packets each designated with one of the VoIP ports. And, the VoIP processor further includes a VoIP port versus internal address table for identifying an internal address in the internal network for directing each of the incoming VoIP packets to the internal address identified.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention generally relates to the management and processes of the network communication packet implemented with a firewall. More particularly, this invention is related to a new interface configuration and processing scheme for enhancing bi-directional VoIP communication traversing the firewall without degrading the level of protections provided by the firewall.

[0003] 2. Descriptions of the Reference Art

[0004] A technical difficulty is still faced by those who apply the Internet Protocol for voice communication by sending voice messages as digitized data packets on Internet, commonly known as the VoIP technologies, when the sender or the receiver are protected by a firewall protection system. Specifically, several popular VoIP signaling protocols such as MGCP, SIP and H323 are commonly implemented. All these different types of protocols are implemented with the data relating to the end point address embedded as part of the data content transmitted in the Internet Protocol (IP) packets. Referring to FIG. 1 for a typical firewall setup where the firewall is installed as a protection interface between the internal and external networks for preventing invasions of undesirable transmission between the internal and external networks. A conventional firewall employs a network address translation (NAT) technique to change the IP packet header such that all outgoing packets from the internal network are presented to the external network as if there are sent out from the firewall. However, once the sender's identification, i.e., the source IP address and port number of the sender, is translated and changed by the firewall, a return packet in response to the sender's VoIP packets can only return to the firewall and would be unable to reach the sender. The communication loop is broken due to the operation of the firewall in changing the source IP and the source port numbers. For a packet sent from the internal network to the external network through the firewall, it would typically include the header information of source IP address, protocol type, source port number, destination IP address and destination port number. An exemplary header is shown below:

[0005] Source IP: 192.168.100.1

[0006] Protocol: UDP

[0007] Source port: 1025

[0008] Destination IP: 10.1.2.3

[0009] Destination port: 2727

[0010] After the packet is processed by the firewall, the header data is changed and an example of the changed header is shown below:

[0011] Source IP: firewall's external IP address

[0012] Protocol: UDP

[0013] Source port: allocated by the firewall (for example 3330)

[0014] Destination JP: 10.1.2.3

[0015] Destination port: 2727

[0016] For the security of the network user protected by the firewall, the sender's IP address is therefore changed and hidden from the external network. It is noticed that the destination IP and port number are not changed. The same IP address and port number maybe included in the content of the IP packets too. Specifically, a valid SIP request must contain the following header fields: To, From, CSeq, Call-ID, Max-Forwards, and Via; all of these header fields are mandatory in all SIP requests. Call-ID in this case includes a port number and IP address (or domain name) of an end point. For the outbound traffic, i.e., IP packets transmitted from the internal private network to an external public network, because the conventional firewall only changes the packet header, the end point address embedded in the packet content still points to the original IP addresses and the embedded IP address will be mismatched with the header now changed by the firewall. Due to the mismatches, the VoIP communication cannot be successful. Furthermore, for the inbound VoIP communications, because the internal host's IP addressees are hidden from the public network, VoIP traffic when designate the IP address and the port number of an internal IP address cannot reach individual end point by their IP address, thus an incoming call cannot be made. Additionally, even a special assignment is made to correlate a port number with an end point of an internal user, since for each specific protocol, the port number is fixed, for example port 2427 is for MGCP, and 2543 is for SIP. So in a conventional firework for the management of incoming traffic, if a packet is targeting at 2427, it usually is a call. However, since only one port is used, a call can only be made to one end point inside firewall using the conventional method.

[0017] In summary, the Voice over IP is a major enabler of high-value, converged voice/data applications. However, widespread use of VoIP is at odds with conventional security technology: Network-level devices, such as NAT gateways, lack the intelligence to recognize and properly process the critical signaling protocols that enable VoIP calls to be established and managed. Until now, extreme compromises have been required to enable flexible VoIP applications: Companies have been forced to either compromise their security, by opening holes in their perimeter security to allow VoIP signaling to pass, or have been forced to purchase expensive, single-function call-proxy systems that focus on solving the NAT traversal problem. Another approach - using VoIP only in conjunction with VPN tunnels - greatly limits the reach of Internet telephony. None of these so-called solutions achieves the goal of enabling widespread, secure use of VoIP technology.

[0018] Since there is an increase in adopting voice over IP technology in the enterprise environment spawning from renewed interest in converged voice/data application, there is an urgent need to resolve the difficulties. Particularly, as most conventional network security technologies employ the network address translation (NAT) technique as a universal standard to prevent unauthorized access to a private network from the Internet, these difficulties often force organizations to either comprise security or forsake the voice/data convergence because such applications have become impractical.

[0019] Therefore, a need still exits in the art to provide improved firewall systems with more intelligent operations capable of managing both the VoIP and a non-VoIP network communications in order to resolve these difficulties.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0020] It is the object of the present invention to provide a new and improved interface configuration and processing scheme for a network protection gateway (NPG) to manage packets transmission. The network protection gateway provides both network layer and application layer protection, and through their content-aware proxy architecture, understand and parse VoIP packets at the application layer, thereby solving, the VoIP NAT traversal problem. The NPGs as disclosed in this invention maintain high level security while enabling VoIP call setup and call transmission at very high performance. The technologies as disclosed in this invention are useful to support all kinds of VoIP signaling protocols.

[0021] A preferred embodiment of this invention discloses a firewall for interfacing between an internal and an external networks. The firewall includes a VoIP processing means for detecting an outgoing VoIP packet sent from the internal network for changing data in a header of the VoIP packet and also changing data contents in the VoIP packet corresponding to data changed in the header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication. In a preferred embodiment, the VoIP processing means changes a source IP address and a port number in the header of the VoIP packet and also changes the data contents in the VoIP packet corresponding to the source IP address and the port number changed in the header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication. In another preferred embodiment, the firewall further includes an external VoIP interface comprising a plurality of VoIP ports for receiving multiple incoming VoIP packets each designated with one of the VoIP ports. And, the VoIP process means further comprising a VoIP port versus internal address table for identifying an internal address in the internal network for directing each of the incoming VoIP packets to the internal address identified.

[0022] The invention also discloses a method for transmitting a VoIP packet from an internal network through a firewall to an external network. The method includes a step of detecting an outgoing VoIP packet sent from the internal network for changing data in a header of the VoIP packet and also changing data contents in the VoIP packet corresponding to data changed in the header to enable a bi-directional IP VoIP communication. In a preferred embodiment, the step of changing the data in the header of the VoIP packet comprising a step of changing a source IP address and a port number in the header of the VoIP packet and the step of changing the data contents in the VoIP packet further comprising a step of changing the data contents in the VoIP packet corresponding to the source IP address and the port number changed in the header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication. In another preferred embodiment, the method further includes a step of providing a plurality of VoIP ports to an external VoIP interface for receiving multiple incoming VoIP packets each designated with one of the VoIP ports. And, identifying an internal address in the internal network corresponding to the VoIP port designated in each of the incoming VoIP packets for directing each of the incoming VoIP packets to the internal address identified.

[0023] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the following detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024]FIG. 1 show a system configuration of a network system includes a firewall installed between the internal and external networks for protecting and controlling the interfaces between the internal and external networks;

[0025]FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the processing steps carried out by a firewall of this invention to provide corrected end point IP address and port number sent out by a firewall;

[0026]FIG. 3 show a system configuration of a firewall of this invention that includes interface opened with multiple ports for receiving multiple incoming VoIP calls;

[0027]FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the processing steps carried out by a firewall of this invention to direct multiple incoming VoIP calls to end point with correct internal JP address and port number; and

[0028]FIGS. 5A to 5K are screen display illustrations and IP address tables for showing the processes according to actual implementations of the invention in a network protection gateway produced by the Assignee of this Patent Application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD

[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the inventions as disclosed are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a method, data processing system or computer software program products. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of data analysis systems, methods, analysis software and etc. Software written according to the present invention is to be stored in some form of computer readable medium, such as memory, or hard-drive, CD-ROM. The software of the invention may be transmitted over a network and executed by a processor in a remote location. The software may also be embedded in the computer readable medium of hardware, such as a network gateway device or a network card.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 2 for a flowchart to illustrate the processing steps carried out by a new firewall processor of this invention to enable a bi-directional VoIP protocol traversal communication. The process begins (step 100) when a VoIP user of an internal network system protected by a firewall sends out the VoIP packets (step 105 ) for VoIP communication. The firewall receives the IP packets and changes the source IP address and the source port number in the packet header to an external IP address as if the packets are sent out by the firewall (step 110) and changes the port number to a port number as designated by the firewall (step 115). The firewall then checks whether the IP packets are VoIP packets (step 120). If the packets are checked out as VoIP packets, then the firewall also changes the end point address and port number embedded in the packets as the new IP address, e.g., the external firewall IP address and the new port number, i.e., the new port number as now being designated by the firewall, to identify to sender of the message from an internal network user (step 125). After the embedded end point address and port number are changed, the VoIP packets are sent out (step 130) and the processes end (step 135). The end point IP address and the port number in the VoIP requests embedded in the IP packets are now consistent with the header of the IP packets thus provides correct IP address and port designations for a VoIP message receiver to respond by sending the responsive VoIP packets to the firewall for reaching the message sender according to a port number designated by the firewall. The difficult is therefore resolved to allow a message sender protected by a firewall to communicated with a message receiver with correct and consistent end point address information without being affected by the Network Address Translation (NAT) operation of the firewall.

[0031] In order to receive the inbound VoIP network communications, the present invention provide new and improved firework configurations to enable the recognition of the internal host's IP addressees that are hidden from the public network. Referring to FIG. 3 for a block diagram and FIG. 4 for the processing steps for a firewall to process the incoming VoIP packets. As shown in FIG. 3, the firewall of this invention provides many ports on its external interface(s). Each port/IP pair corresponds to on end point in the internal network The relationship of port/IP pair and endpoint address can be advertised automatically to a third computer on the network through a directory system, or it can be manually input into both the firewall and the external call manager. Thus, when the external caller wants to initiate a call to the end point inside, it will make a call to the specific IP/port pair on the firewall instead. The firewall will then use the same technique described above, to change the packet header and the content, so that the VoIP traffic can traverse the firewall. This invention thus allows multiple calls to multiple end points behind the firewall. The invention thus extends the capabilities of the firewall from a single port management scheme to a firewall capable of managing multiple incoming VoIP calls by providing multiple ports on the firewall interfaces. Each of these ports is mapped to a internal endpoint, so that multiple VoIP calls to multiple endpoints inside firewall are now completely manageable by the firewall of this invention.

[0032] Referring FIG. 4 for the processing steps carried out by the firewall of this invention to manage an incoming IP packet. The processes begin (step 200) by check if an incoming packet is an VoIP packet (step 205), if it is not, then regular firewall processes of the packet is performed (step 220). If the incoming IP packet is a VoIP packet, then a table lookup process is carried out to identify an end point IP address and the internal port number that matches with the port number designated by the incoming VoIP packet (step 210). The firewall than changes the IP address and the port number of the VoIP request embedded in the IP packet to be consistent with the end point fl address and port number as recognized by the internal network (step 215). The firewall then carries out further regular firewall processes on the VoIP packet (step 220) before the firewall processes is ended (step 230).

[0033] Example 1 as described below provides a specific implementation by the Assignee of this Application. The Example is provided to further illustrate a network protection gateway (NPG) that applies an intelligent VoIP-aware network address translation (NAT) solution while enable a comprehensive network protection functions in a single unit. The intelligent NPG is implemented as an application specific integrated circuit ASIC-based real-time anti-virus protection, connection filtering, firewall, VPN, intrusion detection, and traffic-shaping device. The comprehensive intelligent NPG takes advantage of a “application-aware” feature of the device to implement the techniques disclosed in this invention that provide “VoIP-aware” NAT services.

EXAMPLE 1

[0034] The device of this Example recognizes H.323 messages based on the standard port 1720-port address and parse the body of H.323 messages When it recognizes specific H.323 messages that carry the RTP/RTCP addresses, the NPG device creates the IP/Port mapping for the RTP traffic, which allows proper identification and address mapping of the RTP media stream between the calling and called devices in the private IP space and call host or IP gateways in the public space. It is assumed that a person of ordinary skill in the art possesses moderate level of knowledge of VoIP, RTP, H.323, H.225.0, H.245, VoIP's deployment in an enterprise network, and basic NAT technology.

[0035] The Core Intelligence of the NGP Device: H.323 Message Parsing

[0036] The processes of H.323 message parsing and translation of a typical Microsoft “Netmeeting session” setup is described. A Netmeeting uses the H.323 protocol for signaling and data transmission. VoIP calls through an IP PBX operate in a slightly different but similar fashion.

[0037]FIG. 5A shows the network topology involved in the Net-meeting session. In the middle sits a NPG device shown as a “FortiGate unit” provided by the Assignee of this Application, which acts as a network protection gateway between the external network (“Public Network” as it is called in the diagram) and the internal network, which has multiple local hosts (named Internal Host 1 through 3 in the diagram). For convenience, the Internal Host 2 is named as “Lisa”. Also sitting on the private network protected by the FortiGate NPG is the NetMeeting “Gatekeeper” server.

[0038] Introduction to the H.323 Gatekeeper

[0039] The Gatekeeper (GK) is used in the context of the H.323 protocol (and is used in other media control protocols as well). The GK is considered the “brains” of an H.323 signaling system. Typically a GK is required when more than one local host needs to receive or initiate VoIP calls or host/participate in Netmeeting sessions. The Gatekeeper keeps a registration table W7here the private IP addresses of the local hosts are mapped to the “Alias” of that particular local host. In a Netmeeting session, the Alias is used to identify the party involved in a call. In our example, assuming the email addresses of the users of the internal hosts are used in Netmeeting to uniquely identify the participants, the table that the GK keeps will look like the following: Other User Local Host Private IP User Alias Information 192.168.1.15 doug.smith@lebeis.com . . . 192.168.1.10 Lisa.Kelly@lebeis.com . . . 192.168.1.27 Joe.han@lebeis.com . . . . . .

[0040] Note that an assumption is made that the e-mail addresses of three users, i.e., doug.smith@lebeis.com, lisa.Kelly@lebeis.com, and joe.han@lebeis.com are using the three machines on the local network as illustrated in the above chart. On receiving an H.323 related message directed to it by the FortiGate gateway, the Gatekeeper will use the above mapping table to direct the message to the appropriate local host based on the User Alias value, which is used in the Netmeeting session as an identifier of a person to call. The table in the Gatekeeper is empty when no Netmeeting client has been started on the local network. Note that if multiple Gatekeepers are deployed across a company's WAN, they synchronize between themselves for registered user information. Gatekeepers communicate with end points (local hosts in this case) using a protocol called RAS, or Registration, Admission, and Status. RAS is a straightforward protocol used by endpoints to register with a Gatekeeper for the purposes of call setup with another H.323 endpoint. In our example, as soon as a user, let's say, Lisa, starts her Netmeeting client on her local host 192.168.1.10, her private IP address and her User Alias (stored in the Netmeeting client) lisa.kelly@lebeis.com will be entered into the gatekeeper's table.

[0041] The following descriptions explain the entire process of Netmeeting setup using H.225.0, a sub-protocol of the 11.323 protocol designed for call setup and teardown. Eight steps are described in FIG. 5B that constitute the initial part of the Netmeeting setup process. An analysis of the eight steps highlights the problems are involved in VoIP NAT traversal, and shows how the FortiGate content-aware packet and content stream inspection according to the techniques disclosed in this invention solves the problem to allow VoIP traffic to traverse the barriers generated by the NAT process.

[0042] In the example, it is assumed that Andy, the external user, is hosting a Netmeeting session. Andy has a public IP address of 64.58.79.231. Andy's email address is andy.huang@external.com Lisa Kelly will be joining the Netmeeting session from behind the FortiGate gateway.

[0043] The Call Model of H.323

[0044] The H.323 call model supports many methods for setting up and routing calls, such as direct point-top-point (no Gatekeeper), point-to-point with routing via a Gatekeeper, multi-point, etc. This example examines the “Gatekeeper routed” model in the context of a point-to-point Netmeeting call through H.323.

[0045] The call model of H1.323 consists of five phases:

[0046] 1. Call setup (Phase A)

[0047] 2. Initial communication between endpoints and terminal capability exchange (Phase B)

[0048] 3. Establishment of audio and/or visual communication between endpoints (Phase C)

[0049] 4. Request and negotiation of Call Services (Phase D)

[0050] 5. Call termination (Phase E)

[0051] In the following descriptions the initial stage of Phase A and part of Phase C are described to illustrate the potential problems VoIP call setup/data transmission will experience and show how the invention of this Application solves the problems.

[0052] H.323 Case Study, Phase A: Call Setup

[0053] Step 1: User Registration in the Gatekeeper through RAS

[0054] Referring to FIG. 5B for the initial stage of the call set-up processes As discussed earlier, to join the netmeeting hosted by Andy Huang, Lisa opens the Netmeeting client. Earlier, she enabled the “Advanced Calling Options/Use a Gatekeeper to Place a Call” in the Netmeeting client, where she entered 192.168.1.2, or the private IP address of the Gatekeeper on her local area network for her Netmeeting packets to be routed through as that shown in FIG. 5C. The table in the gatekeeper will then add the mapping between Lisa's private IF address to her alias (lisa.Kelly@lebeis.com) as a new entry. This process is completed through UDP protocol and port 1719.

[0055] Once Lisa started the Netmeeting client (which in the background caused her to be registered onto the Gatekeeper), she types in Andy's public IP address (64.58.79.231), which is used to find him as shown in FIG. 5D, and clicks on “Call”. What happens in the background is that Lisa's Netmeeting sends a H.225.0 call setup TCP packet to the Gatekeeper. Note that Lisa's Netmeeting client is set up in such a way that all the call related packets (call setup, call data transmission, call teardown, etc.) will be routed to the Gatekeeper before being relayed to the network gateway connected to the external network. The TCP packet looks like that shown in FIG. 5E. The source IP address shows Lisa's private IP and the destination TP shows Andy's public JP address; the destination port is 1720, the H.225.0 call setup port that must be open on Andy's machine. Note also that in the message body, there are information about the Source IP and the Source Port—Andy, as the Netmeeting host will be using the this information in the message body to reply to Lisa to try to setup the call. This constitutes the first major VoIP NAT traversal problem that will be described in step 2. Lisa's alias is also embedded in the message body for future use.

[0056] Step 2: Call Setup Failure Using a Conventional NAT Gateway

[0057] The Gatekeeper is pre-configured to have 192.168.1.1, or the internal IP address of the FortiGate gateway as it's default gateway to the Internet. All packets it receives from the internal hosts will be relayed to the FortiGate unit (except for the initial caller registration information).

[0058] If the FortiGate handled NAT like a conventional firewall, the FortiGate unit would translate all internal host IP addresses into a public address (typically the external interface IP address of 205.10.10.10, or if an external IP address pool is available—into one of the addresses from the pool). The internal addresses such as 192.168.1.10 are not routable outside of the internal network.

[0059] A security gateway such as a conventional firewall that understands and translates only the header of the packets will change the packet as that shown in FIG. 5F. Note that the source IP and the Source Port numbers have been changed from their original internal host (Lisa's) into the external IP address of FortiGate (205.10.10.10); similarly, the Port number may or may not be changed (in this case, it's changed from 2427 into 10000). Note the Source IP and Source Port in the message body are not touched because conventional firewalls don't took beyond packet headers. The problem arises when Andy's Netmeeting application tries to talk back to Lisa to set up the call—remember we mentioned earlier that it is the Source IP and Source Port embedded in the message body that will be used to locate the host at the other end of Andy's Netmeeting call. Andy's application will then try to send a TCP packet back to destination address 192.168.1.10with destination port=2427. This packet will be lost because the address 192.168.1.10 is not routable outside of Lisa's internal network. The result—the reply packet sent back by Andy will be lost and the Netmeeting call attempt will be aborted. In essence, the VoIP NAT traversal problem arises because the media transmission and signaling protocols such as H.323, SIP, MGCP, and MegaCo make extensive use of the information embedded in the message body in packets rather than rely on the packet header for routing. Conventional firewalls understand and process only the header with network address translation and don't touch the message body. The other side of the media session will be using the wrong information to route its reply back and therefore communication attempts will fail.

[0060] Step 2 Revisited: Call Setup Success Using a Fortigate Gateway

[0061] The FortiGate unit's application-aware NAT technology avoids the problems experienced using a conventional, network-level NAT solution. The FortiGate unit receives the TCP Netmeeting call setup packet from the Gatekeeper, and by parsing the message, recognizes the H.323 call setup request. As a result, besides the normal network address translation that FortiGate unit performs on every outgoing packet, it performs a “message body address translation” as well by replacing the source IP and source port in the message body with an externally routable IP and port number, as illustrated in FIG. 5G. All the above processing is completed within the proprietary purpose-built FortiOS™ operating system kernel and therefore latency introduced as a result of the packet parsing is negligible.

[0062] Step 3, 4, 5, and 6: Andy Receives and Responds to the Call Setup Request

[0063] Once the header-level NAT is completed together with the address translation in the message body, the call setup request (TCP packet destined towards Andy's port 1720) will be sent to the external network that FortiGate is connected to and routed to Andy's machine at public IP address 64-58.79.231. Andy's machine is listening on port 1720 for call setup requests. It picks up the setup request from Lisa, removes the header, and looks into the message body to pick out the Source IP and Source Port from there. It understands that the Lisa can be reached at Source IP address 205.10.10.10 (which is the external interface address of FortiGate) and at port 10000. It also understands that Lisa is called on her in Netmeeting by her Alias lisa.Kelly@lebeis.com. It then sends a TCP call setup reply back to Lisa as illustrated in FIG. 5G: The reply gets routed through the public network and arrives at the FortiGate external interface.

[0064] Steps 6-7-8: The FortiGate Unit and Gatekeeper Implement Intelligent H.323 Call Setup

[0065] When the call setup reply arrives at the FortiGate unit's external interface, several things happen:

[0066] 1. The FortiGate unit parses all incoming packets and recognizes the H.225.0 call setup reply packet by looking at the header of the TCP packet—all Source Port=1720 packets are by design H.225.0 call setup packets.

[0067] 2. The FortiGate implements “Port Forwarding,”—in this case it has been configured to route all packets with a Source address=1720 to the Gatekeeper.

[0068] 3. The Gatekeeper, on receiving the packet, understands that the packet is for call setup and is a reply from the host of the Netmeeting session. The Gatekeeper parses the message and understands that the call participant's alias is lisa.kelly@lebeis.com. It then looks it up in its mapping table and finds the private IP for Lisa at 192.168.1.10. The reply packet is then relayed onto Lisa's machine.

[0069] 4. Once the call setup reply from Andy arrives at Lisa's machine and is appropriately processed, the initial H.225.0 call setup is completed.

[0070] The Processes for Andy to Call in as A Participant and Lisa Hosts a Netmeeting:

[0071] Up to now, it is assumed in the example where Lisa calls out to join Andy's netmeeting. What if Lisa hosts a Netmeeting and Andy calls in to join? In this situation, all that we need to do is to turn on the H.323 support in FortiGate gateway—the same as when we want to enable Lisa to call out. No port will have to be permanently opened in the firewall to enable Andy's request to get through.

[0072] When Andy initiates a Call setup request to join Lisa's meeting the request TCP packet will arrive at the FortiGate gateway with a destination port of 1720. The FortiGate unit will use port address forwarding to redirect the packet to the Gatekeeper, which will in turn forward it onto Lisa's host (based on Lisa's alias of lisa.kelly@lebeis.com) for further processing. Lisa's reply will be going through similar address and port translation as described above. This way security is not jeopardized while incoming calls are allowed.

[0073] H.323 Case Study, Phase C: H.323 Establishment of Media Communication—H.245 Logical Channel Setup

[0074] Once the initial call setup is completed, both sides can exchange information to set up the Master/Slave status in the call and also tell each other what kind of capabilities (video, audio, etc.) are available on both sides. The next stage would be to set up the logical channel for RTP, or Real Time Protocol, which carries the voice and/or video channels. The most important part in logical channel setup is the port address exchange so that both sides know which port to direct the media traffic to in media transmission. As before, a step-by-step analysis highlights the relevant FortiGate operations that make facilitates the port setup process.

[0075] Step 1, 2, and 3: Lisa Initiates a Logical Channel Setup Message

[0076] RTP is the protocol used in H.323 for media data transmission, including both video and audio. Logical channel setup focuses on exchanging UDP) port information to the parties involved in the call to set up the port for media data exchange. This process is accomplished through protocol 1H.245, a sub-protocol in H.323. In this example, Lisa sends a logical channel setup UDP packet to Andy. The packet is illustrated in FIG. 51. Note that the message body carries the source IP address as well as the port address to be used for RTP data transmission. Similar to Phase A in Call Setup, without appropriate replacement of the IP and Port in the message body, Andy won't know the appropriate port number for Lisa and therefore the media data transmission piece won't go through. This would be the case if a conventional NAT/firewall were used, and thus the call would fail.

[0077] The FortiGate unit inspects both the header and message body of contents, and through its proprietary masquerading function, it will generate an II) address/Port pair that will be used to replace the Source IP/Source Port in the message body as well as in the header. The mapping will be entered into its mapping table as illustrated in FIG. 5J, and the UDP packet after the translation is illustrated in FIG. 5K. This new packet carrying translated address and port information will then be sent to Andy. Note that the ports that opened for the media transmission session will be opened only for the duration of the session and will be dynamically closed immediately after the session is over. This eliminates the severe security vulnerabilities that are introduced when pre-defined ports are left open permanently, as is often the case using conventional NAT/ firewalls.

[0078] Step 4, 5, 6: Andy's Netmeeting Client Responds to Lisa's Logical Channel Setup Request

[0079] On receiving Lisa's logical channel setup request, Andy's Netmeeting Client will respond by sending a reply carrying its own port address, and will send the packet to address 205.10.10.10 and port 10000 as indicated in Lisa's message body. The response will travel across the public network and arrive at the FortiGate gateway.

[0080] Step 7, 8: Andy's Response Intelligently Routed to Lisa

[0081] Once the response arrives at FortiGate, it will use the mapping table to translate it into the Private IP as well as the private port address corresponding to Lisa's machine and Netmeeting application. Similar to Phase A Call setup, using port address forwarding the logical channel setup response from Andy will then be forwarded to the Gatekeeper, which will relay (without further processing) the response to the correct port on Lisa's machine, thus completing the logical channel setup process and enabling a secure VoIP session.

[0082] According to Example 1, this invention discloses a firewall that is an application aware firewall provided for detecting the outgoing VoIP packet. In a preferred embodiment, the firewall is an application aware firewall provided for detecting the outgoing VoIP packet based on a standard port address. In another preferred embodiment, the firewall further includes an external VoIP interface for mapping an e-mail address included in an incoming VoIP message to an internal port number in the internal network. In another preferred embodiment, the firewall further includes an external VoIP interface for coordinating with the VoIP processing means for conducting a network meeting between an external network user and at least two internal network users. In another preferred embodiment, the firewall further includes an external VoIP interface for coordinating with the VoIP processing means for conducting a network meeting between an internal network user and at least two external network users.

[0083] This invention further discloses a network protection gateway device that has an application awareness means for recognizing a VoIP message and a VoIP processing means for parsing and processing the VoIP message for enabling a protected bi-direction VoIP communication.

[0084] In a preferred embodiment, the NPG further an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for implementing the network protection gateway therein.

[0085] This invention further discloses a method for transmitting a VoIP packet from an internal network through a firewall to an external network comprising a step of detecting an outgoing VoIP packet sent from the internal network for changing data in a header of the VoIP packet and also changing data contents in the VoIP packet corresponding to data changed in the header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication. In a preferred embodiment, the step of changing the data in the header of the VoIP packet comprising a step of changing a source IP address and a port number in the header of the VoIP packet and the step of changing the data contents in the VoIP packet further comprising a step of changing the data contents in the VoIP packet corresponding to the source IP address and the port number changed in the header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication. In a preferred embodiment, the method further includes a step of providing a plurality of VoIP ports to an external VoIP interface for receiving multiple incoming VoIP packets each designated with one of the VoIP ports. And, identifying an internal address in the internal network corresponding to the VoIP port designated in each of the incoming VoIP packets for directing each of the incoming VoIP packets to the internal address identified. In a preferred embodiment, the method further includes a step of mapping an e-mail address included in an incoming VoIP message to an internal port number in the internal network. In another preferred embodiment, the method further includes a step of conducting a network meeting between an external network user and at least two internal network users. In another preferred embodiment, the method further includes a step of conducting a network meeting between an internal network user and at least two external network users.

[0086] Therefore, this invention discloses the Network Protection Gateways (NPGs) have been specifically designed to provide the application-level intelligence and ASIC-accelerated performance required for secure Internet telephony and mixed voice/data applications. The NPG of this invention support secure VoIP services for any size company—from SOHO users through large enterprises and service providers—and enable any organization to take full advantage of the benefits of converged voice/data applications.

[0087] Although the present invention has been described in terms of the presently preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that such disclosure is not to be interpreted as limiting. Various alterations and modifications will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as covering all alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. 

I claim:
 1. A firewall for interfacing between an internal and an external networks comprising: a VoIP processing means for detecting an outgoing VoIP packet sent from said internal network for changing data in a header of said VoIP packet and also changing data contents in said VoIP packet corresponding to data changed in said header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication.
 2. The firewall of claim 1 wherein: said VoIP processing means changing a source IP address and a port number in said header of said VoIP packet and also changing said data contents in said VoIP packet corresponding to said source IP address and said port number as that changed in said header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication.
 3. The firewall of claim 1 further comprising: an external VoIP interface comprising a plurality of VoIP ports for receiving multiple incoming VoIP packets each designated with one of said VoIP ports; and said VoIP process means further comprising a VoIP port versus internal address table for identifying an internal address in said internal network for directing each of said incoming VoIP packets to said internal address identified.
 4. The firewall of claim 1 wherein: said firewall is an application aware firewall provided for detecting said outgoing VoIP packet.
 5. The firewall of claim 1 wherein: said firewall is an application aware firewall provided for detecting said outgoing VoIP packet based on a standard port address.
 6. The firewall of claim 1 further comprising: an external VoIP interface for mapping an e-mail address included in an incoming VoIP message to an internal port number in said internal network.
 7. The firewall of claim 1 further comprising: an external VoIP interface for coordinating with said VoIP processing means for conducting a network meeting between an external network user and at least two internal network users.
 8. The firewall of claim 1 further comprising: an external VoIP interface for coordinating with said VoIP processing means for conducting a network meeting between an internal network user and at least two external network users.
 9. A network protection gateway device comprising: an application awareness means for recognizing a VoIP message and a VoIP processing means for parsing and processing said VoIP message for enabling a protected bi-direction VoIP communication.
 10. The network protection gateway device of claim 9 further comprising: an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for implementing said network protection gateway therein.
 11. A method for transmitting a VoIP packet from an internal network through a firewall to an external network comprising a step of: detecting an outgoing VoIP packet sent from said internal network for changing data in a header of said VoIP packet and also changing data contents in said VoIP packet corresponding to data changed in said header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein: said step of changing said data in said header of said VoIP packet comprising a step of changing a source IP address and a port number in said header of said VoIP packet and said step of changing said data contents in said VoIP packet further comprising a step of changing said data contents in said VoIP packet corresponding to said source IP address and said port number changed in said header to enable a bi-directional VoIP communication.
 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising: providing a plurality of VoIP ports to an external VoIP interface for receiving multiple incoming VoIP packets each designated with one of said VoIP ports; and identifying an internal address in said internal network corresponding to said VoIP port designated in each of said incoming VoIP packets for directing each of said incoming VoIP packets to said internal address identified.
 14. The method of claim 11 further comprising a step of: configuring said firewall as an application aware firewall for detecting said outgoing VoIP packet.
 15. The method of claim 11 further comprising a step of: configuring said firewall as an VoIP-aware firewall for detecting said outgoing VoIP packet based on a standard port address.
 16. The method of claim 11 further comprising: mapping an e-mail address included in an incoming VoIP message to an internal port number in said internal network.
 17. The method of claim 11 further comprising: conducting a network meeting between an external network user and at least two internal network users.
 18. The method of claim 1 further comprising: conducting a network meeting between an internal network user and at least two external network users.
 19. A method for configuring a network protection gateway (NPG) device comprising: providing an application awareness means in said NPG for recognizing a VoIP message and a means for parsing and processing said VoIP message for enabling a protected bi-direction VoIP communication.
 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising: implementing said NPG as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). 